Luke Lea (politician, 1879)

Luke Lea

Luke Lea (born April 12, 1879 in Nashville , Tennessee , † November 18, 1945 ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party . From 1911 to 1917 he sat for the US state of Tennessee in the US Senate .

biography

Lea was born in Nashville. He was a great-grandson of Luke Lea , who sat for Tennessee in the US House of Representatives . In Nashville, Lea attended public schools. He then studied law at the University of the South and Columbia University . In 1903 he was admitted to the bar and from then on worked in his own law firm in Nashville.

In 1907 he founded The Tennessean newspaper . As the first publisher and editor, he was significantly involved during the founding years. In 1911 Lea was elected to the US Senate by the Tennessee General Assembly . From then on he represented the interests of his home state there. Lea acted as a strong supporter of US President Woodrow Wilson's policies . Between 1913 and 1915 he was chairman of the United States Congress Joint Committee on the Library . During his tenure he was responsible for the establishment of the Federal Reserve System , the central bank of the United States. He also supported Robert M. La Follette senior in some legislative proposals, campaigned against child labor and for the introduction of the eight-hour day . During Lea's tenure, the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution came into effect. So, if Lea wanted to be re-elected, Lea had to face the vote of the electorate from Tennessee. This did not happen, however, because Lea had to admit defeat to his opponent Kenneth McKellar during the primaries for the Senate election in 1916 , who won the election successfully. Lea resigned from the Senate in early 1917 and returned to Nashville, where he again worked as a lawyer and again worked as editor and editor of the newspaper he founded. Shortly after the United States actively entered World War I , Lea was called to active service. He worked for the United States Army in Europe, mainly the Netherlands and the German Reich .

After returning from the battlefields of World War I, he was instrumental in founding the American Legion . In 1929 he was to be appointed to the Senate by Governor Henry Hollis Horton for the seat of the late Lawrence Tyson . Lea refused this. Rather, he was now also active in the banking and real estate sector. Because of dubious deals, he was taken into custody in North Carolina in 1930 together with some business partners, including his eldest son . He stayed there until 1937, when a pardon was successful. Throughout his life he believed that they were all innocent.

Lea died on November 18, 1945 in his hometown. He was married to Mary Louise Warner and had two sons with her.

Web links

• Luke Lea in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Luke Lea in the database of Find a Grave (English)